Crazy
by ocean of rage
Summary: Normal has never been a word to describe Chloe. In and out of rehab, therapy wards, and mental hospitals for her schizophrenia, she's spent her entire life on pills and sedation. As a last resort, she gets shipped off to Lyle House for Disturbed Youths and ends up finding friends and love in those putrid yellow walls.
1. Chapter 1

Crazy

One

Group Home For Disturbed Kids

"CAN'T YOU SEE him?!" Chloe screamed, thrashing against the paramedics in white scrubs holding her down. One of them reached across her belly to grab the thick leather strap and brought it across the gurney. She started to cry as the janitor's face melted away, chunks of black skin peeling away, melting like plastic.

"Now can you see me, girly?" he wheezed, a chunk splattering on her chest. Screaming renewed, she kicked out her legs; the female EMT held them down while the male one stuck Chloe's arm. Ice pumped into her veins like slush and her head started to feel fuzzy, slow. Above her, the janitor was laughing hysterically, swaying like he was caught in a breeze.  
>His laughter reminded her of Mom, laughing behind Chloe as they rode an elephant at a zoo when she was little, the ground swaying, they were swaying…like the janitor…<p>

Chloe's eyelids were bobbing as she fought to stay awake, the sticky fog wrapping around her eyes. She tried to blink but it didn't clear away the fuzz.

"One, two, three."

She barely registered being lifted as reality faded away.

oOo

When Chloe woke up, Aunt Lauren was leaning over Chloe, her cheeks red with tear stains. She dabbed at her nose with a crumpled up tissue. "A group home," she spat out to and Chloe absently watched wisps of dark red hair escape her bun. Chloe always thought it was amusing that her aunt's hair was red but she explained her and Mom's dad was blonde, their mother a redhead.

The girl sat up slowly. Her mouth tasted like lemon-soaked cotton and her entire body felt groggy, heavy, weighed down with big, fat dumbbells. "G-g-group h-home?" she asked, confused. "This was your last chance, Chloe. You've been in too much trouble, too many…episodes with you…illness," Aunt Lauren explained slowly, her blue eyes flaring with anger.

Chloe picked at the scratchy blanket.

"I forgot to take my medication this morning," she admitted softly. Aunt Lauren let out an angry huff as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Chloe sank back into the bed and pulled the scratchy blanket up to her chin, feeling humiliated and tired. Sleep tugged at her and she was more than glad to sink into the oblivion it welcomed.

oOo

The next time she woke up, Chloe found herself in a pale, yellowy room, Ozzie, her stuffed koala, tucked in her arms, heavy comforter pulled up to her chin. Outside, there was noise and she buried her face in Ozzie's fake fur. He smelled like her mother.

"Oh," said a light voice and Chloe watched through half-lidded eyes as a blonde girl in Gap jeans looked at her, long hair tickling the schizophrenic's cheeks. "I'm Liz."

Chloe ignored the outstretched hand. "Chloe," she stated apprehensively, sitting up while cradling Ozzie to her nonexistent chest. "Where am I?" she asked, watching Liz flip through some shirts that Chloe recognize as hers.

"Lyle Home for Disturbed Youths," answered the girl cheerfully. Chloe's head pounded viciously. How could Liz be so happy, sitting there, humming the Hanna Montana theme song, when she was in a _group home _for crazies? Chloe barely paid attention as Liz chattered her ear off.

Feeling a bit more aware, Chloe kicked off her covers and swing her legs to the edge of the bed.

A pair of grey-white hands shot out and wrapped around the skin where her jeans twisted away from her socks. A trembling took over her body. She squeezed her eyes shut tight and remained stony.

"Chloe?"

The hands vanished. The laugh that bounced around from under the mattress sent chills racking through her belly. "I-I—" Chloe stuttered, her mind chunky and sluggish from sedatives and sleep. "I have schizophrenia," she admitted quietly. "Oh."

Liz seemed at a loss of words but then she noticed Chloe's red-streaked hair and, as the pair made their way down a set of stairs on the right side of a divide upper floor, she babbled reassuring, normal chatter in Chloe's ear about dyeing her hair blue.

oOo

"That's Tori. She's my best fiend but she's really moody," Liz whispered to Chloe as she gestured to a spiky, dark-haired girl leaning over a magazine at the kitchen table. She seemed…nice?

"That's Rachelle, or Rae. Bit of a diva. Likes things her way. She's got a thing for fire." The girl Liz pointed out was a copper-skinned, copper-haired, curvy beauty lounging in a loveseat, watching reruns of the Powerpuff Girls. She looked harmless enough.

"Hey, New Girl," said a voice behind them and a guy stepped out from Liz's right side. He was cute, with spiky, dark blonde hair, a charismatic grin, and almond-shaped brown eyes.  
>"That's Simon. He's got anxiety, like Peter. And Derek's―when'd you get there?"<p>

Chloe looked over and a little yelp escaped her. The guy was tall and broad, with long, scruffy black hair, electrifying green eyes and golden skin; the only unattractive thing about him was the scowl on his face and the acne making his cheeks red and scarred but he made it look attractive.

"Derek's antisocial. Ain't that right, bro?" Simon said with a smile at Tori. The girl flipped him off casually and he laughed. "H-h-hi," Chloe managed; Derek's eyes flickering to her mouth was his response. Liz continued to talk. "This is Chloe, she's got schizophrenia. And I'm Liz, as you know! I'm…hmm…what did they call it? Oh, yeah, anger management issues."

Chloe nodded as Derek brushed her arm; a shock of warmth spread through her fingers. "Sorry," he grunted. She could feel her face become an inferno. "I-I—"

"New Girl!" sneered a voice and Chloe turned, finding Rachelle standing there, her braids swinging and gleaming in the light. The TV was playing a Lana Del Ray song that made Chloe want to sway.

"Back off, Rae," snarled Tori, rising to her combat boots that Chloe was sure would hurt if she kicked someone with. Rachelle flashed a sugary smile that made Chloe nervous.

"Hello, Derek," Rachelle purred.

Chloe glanced behind her, her eyes coming in contact with his dark blue sweatshirt. He was tense against her shoulder and he radiated heat and a bit of BO. He shifted closer, his knee bumping her thigh.

Rachelle's eyes flitted to Chloe and the blonde shrank back, back against Derek. His hand gripped her elbow firmly and he was rock hard against her back, muscular. It was comforting, almost.

"H-hi," Chloe managed without stuttering too badly. Rachelle's sharp eyes honed in on her. "I-I—" "Spit it out. Liz, see if you can slap her on the back. Restart her," Rachelle giggled cruelly before sweeping away, ogling Derek openly. Tears of embarrassment flooded Chloe's vision as the coppery girl headed upstairs.

"Can I rip her throat out?" Derek rumbled and she laughed suddenly, remembering the tv series _Teen Wolf_. "I'm afraid that's too kind," Liz said in a cheerful voice. Tori and Simon shook their heads while Chloe wiped the tears off her cheeks with the back of her hand.

As they headed for the living room, planning on watching _Tangled_, Chloe thought she saw a glimpse of blonde hair and the smell of lavender invaded her nose.

_Mom._ She stared hard at the spot, willing her mother's ghost to appear, wishing desperately. "Chloe?" It was Simon, with his kind eyes and easy attitude. "Come on."

_The first day in a group home is always…eventful._


	2. Chapter 2

Crazy

Two

The Laundry Room Incident

The boys were nice but Derek seemed to keep his distance from her after that first day. What kind of freak thought she saw ghosts? And her dead mom to boot! Chloe paused, her hands holding a lacy thong marked _Tori_ and wondered how she could get her hands on her little girl, cotton panties.

"Chloe…"A voice, low and gravelly, rose behind her in a moaning wail; she whipped around and her heart thumped when she didn't see anyone. She folded the thong and added it to the growing pile of girls' clothes. She picked out a pair of boxers with little Lego men running around on them and snorted to herself.

"Chloe…baby…" A woman's voice this time and she whipped around again, expecting to see her mother standing there. There was only the open door and the wall below the staircase. "I'm n-not listening!" she whimpered as she tried to shut out the voice.

_Damn, damn, damn. Why now? Why her? _Chloe clamped her hands over her ears to block out her mother's voice, which grew louder and louder until she was screaming at her daughter. "Chloe?" asked a voice and she yelped, losing her balance and nearly whacking her face on the edge of the cabinet.

A dark-haired boy stood there, looking concerned. He was attractive, with coppery skin like Rachelle's, dark curls, and even darker eyes. His tight black t-shirt stretched across his lean chest and his jeans looked tighter than Chloe's tightest pair.

"Are you okay?" he asked, stepping closer. His voice seemed too smooth, too rich, and it made her hands sweat as she crouched down and picked up the fallen boxer shorts. She stopped as her mind screamed. She never met this boy. She'd met Derek and Simon and Liz had mentioned there being a third boy.

This must be him.

"Royce, right?" she said as she folded the boxers and pulled out a dark sail of a shirt. She folded it up neatly and set about sorting socks into pairs. The dark-haired boy crouched down beside her and smiled a disarming smile that made her shy away. Anger flashed across his eyes. "Yeah," he said with a smile. The anger was still there, simmering just beneath the surface.

She finished up folding the clean laundry and picked up the baskets, stacking them carefully. "Give me one," he suggested with that smile that she was starting to hate. She shook her head as she started forward, feeling a prickle run down her spine. "I-I'm g-good. Thank you though," she answered politely.

She was barely out of the laundry room when he grabbed her upper arm hard and the baskets crashed to the floor as he yanked her back. Her head hit the edge of the washer machine and pain exploded.

"I want you, Chloe," Royce hissed and his spittle was hot on her face as he leaned over her. His hands were on her chest, squeezing her breasts, hard fingers digging into her skin.

She started to cry.

"Get off her!" a new voice roared viciously and then Royce was sailing up, kicking, clawing, and snarling. He landed in a heap by the door and hit one of the baskets; his face was bright red with anger. A vein throbbed in his forehead. Derek stood there, eyes inhumane as he stood there, chest heaving.

"I'll get you. And you'll be mine," hissed the fallen boy. Derek bristled. "Not if I can help it," he snarled and mock-lunged; Royce scrambled out of the way and his footsteps faded. "Scum bag," Tori's voice hissed outside the door.

"Whore."

Chloe's head pounded as she sat up slowly, her bicep throbbing. She started to cry when she saw the ugly bruise of Royce's hand. "Chloe, are you okay?" Derek's worried green eyes met hers and she felt better already, the pain receding.

His hand was gripping her knee firmly while he turned her head this way and that way, telling her to look right, to look left, to follow his finger. "Let me see your head."

He crawled behind her and his warm, gentle fingers pulled away the hair; her head felt light and sticky. "Shit, hey, hey, wake up. Stay awake for me, okay?" He patted her cheeks a few times. She could feel her eyes drooping.

"Tori, get—"

"Dear Lord, boy, what did you do?"

oOo

The beeping of a heart monitor woke Chloe. Her heart was beating fast, pounding against her chest; Aunt Lauren rushed in and shushed her, tears dripping onto her face.

"Chloe, please, calm down."

After several deep breaths, her heart rate slowed down. "Where's Derek?" Chloe asked, sipping the warm water Aunt Lauren had shoved in her hands. The doctor's lips pursed. "I plan on pressing charges, Chloe," she said.

Chloe shook her head. "No, please, don't do that. He'll—" "Derek won't hurt you again, sweetheart." Horror washed over the schizophrenic. "Derek didn't _do _anything! I was trying to carry the basket and slipped on a sock that I hadn't noticed and cracked my head. He found me and tried to keep me awake," Chloe explained, frustration rising.

"Chloe, we saw the bruise."

"That's from—" Chloe clamped her mouth shut. "Derek would _never _hurt me. Sure, he's a bit rude and standoffish but he's a good guy!" Chloe argued, voice rising when her aunt ignored her and turned to the doorway to leave. "Don't treat me like a little girl!" she screamed and Aunt Lauren froze. "It never matters what _I _want, does it? It's always y-you…ever since Mom died, you've been trying to replace—"

The slap sent her head reeling and cheek burning. Tears filled Chloe's eyes. "Don't you _ever _speak to me that way. I may not be your mother but I'm the closest damn thing you have, Chloe! Your father isn't even home half the time. He isn't fit to be a parent. He killed my sister and he's going to let you drag yourself through the mud by covering for the man who abuses you!"

"Derek didn't do _anything_, Dr. Fellows. I was the one who was with Chloe. I ran upstairs to get the new top I needed when I heard a crash and ran back down to find Chloe on the floor," came a smooth, feminine voice. Tori stepped in, dark eyes flashing when she saw the handprint on Chloe's cheek.

"Derek came to pick up the boys' laundry and found her. I went for help but one of the nurses had already heard Chloe fall," continued the punk girl, stepping closer.

"I'll drop the charges," Aunt Lauren whispered and shuffled out of the room. As soon as the door clicked behind the doctor, Chloe burst into tears. Tori cautiously wrapped her arms around the crying girl and whispered reassurances. "It'll be okay," she murmured, rubbing Chloe's back.

"I hope so," said a rumbling voice and Chloe's head snapped up, meeting Derek's.


	3. Chapter 3

Crazy

Three

Hospital Chit-Chats

Static crackled in her eyes as Chloe shifted on the bed, staring up at Derek with wide, blood-shot eyes. He stood there, dressed in the same blue sweatshirt that he'd worn on the first day, hair raked back with his fingers, looking out of place but not entirely unwelcome.

"D-Derek."

His eyes burned into her. "Yeah. Simon—" He stopped abruptly and his cheeks flushed dark. He looked cute like that, shy and unsure. It was almost…amusing. "Just proclaim your undying love," Tori muttered. Chloe hid a laugh by coughing. Derek turned even redder but he glared instead of flushing.

"Shut up," he muttered.

"Oh, and Tori, Liz is looking for you," he smirked and Tori's eyes sparkled at the mention of the blonde girl and she was up and out before Chloe could so much as blink. "You d-did that t-to get r-r-rid of h-her, right?" she said as soon as the door swung shut. He shuffled closer and stood at the foot of her bed.

"Nah." He shook his head and pieces of hair fell into his face; he looked much more attractive with his hair pushed out of his handsome face. "Tori's got a thing for Liz," Derek explained as Chloe sipped her metallic water. She hacked, coughing as water went down the wrong way, and apologized. "S-she a-and L-Liz?"

His eyes narrowed.

"Is that a problem?"

Her cheeks flamed. "N-no. I-I ju-just thought S-Simon a-and Tori were, w-well, y-you k-know," she mumbled. He snorted a laugh and it made her relax, made her heart stop pounding like a jackhammer…slightly.

She played with the blanket covering her lap before she spoke. "My aunt thought you did something," she said slowly, picking at her now short nails. It was like they were afraid she'd scratch someone to death.

His eyes darkened. "Did what, exactly?" he asked and the anger was there, bubbling softly but she was one hundred—_okay, _ninety-nine point nine percent sure he'd never, _ever _hurt her like Royce wanted to.

"She thought," Chloe swallowed hard passed the lump forming in her throat, "thought you were the one who—" She bit her lip and slipped up her sleeve, revealing the angry black bruises. "—Who did _this_. And attempted t-to r-r-r—" Blinking furiously against the swarming tears, she ducked her head down.

"Never." His voice startled her and she jumped, fumbling with the empty glass. He was right next to her now but he was like a strong, hard statue as he stared down at her, face set in an emotionless mask.

"I would _never_ hurt you like that. Intentionally." His eyes drifted to her face.

"That's what I told her. Said it wasn't you." She was aware of her cheek throbbing. "Did she hit you?" he demanded suddenly. Chloe shrank away. "N-no. I-I sa-said something I-I shouldn't ha-have. I a-accused her of trying replace m-my mom." The side of her bed dipped. Her eyes shot from the wall to his massive frame. "Where is she?"

A whimpering sob escape despite her best to squash it.

"Dead."

Silence. And then, "I'm sorry." She waved off his apology. "Don't be. It's not exactly something I like to broadcast." She offered a shrug, absently. "I shouldn't have—" He shut up then, jaw working like he was upset. She cracked a tiny smile, trying to lighten the mood. "Derek?" She leaned forward.

He turned and jerked back, his face reddening as they sat close, almost intimately so. "Don't be s-so hard on yourself," she said. Sucking in his cheek, he nodded. "Okay. Oh, this is for you."

He pulled out something from beside the bed, the rustling and crackling of a plastic bag sounded so loud in her ears, and then he was straightening up, eyes on the window.

Chloe followed his gaze and groaned; he turned to her. "You know them?" She nodded. "They're my friends from school." She tried to peek around his huge bicep to see what he was holding but he shifted, angling his shoulder to block her view. Did he not want her to see it or something?

"Before the incident?"

She brushed back a curl from her cheek, pausing to finger a small cut. "I forgot to t-take my m-m-meds that day." She wrinkled her nose. "Beth and Kari will probably harass you."

He grunted in reply and she relaxed, admiring the way his hair curled on his shoulders. "You look good with your hair like that," she blurted. He stiffened and then slowly, released deep breath. "Thanks."

The door slammed opened and Kari's loud voice filled the room, along with her god-awful perfume. Derek rose to his feet. "Get better soon," he told her firmly and there was a hint of…affection maybe, more like concern…as he pressed something into her arms.

"It's a wolf. I like wolves. How'd you—" Her question was interrupted when Kari screeched, "Chloe Saunders! Why didn't you tell us you had a boyfriend?"

He shook his head and rolled his eyes before his hand touched hers, his fingers lingering, thumb stroking absently, sending heat waves down to her belly and her heart thumped as his eyes met hers—

Miranda bounced in and announced her presence with a scream like an Orca whale. "He's hot!" Derek pushed his hair out of his eyes and straightened; Chloe's eyes followed him out the door, reluctantly to leave his physique. He paused outside and a hand appeared next to him. Chloe gripped her bedspread as the disembodied hand grabbed his sweatshirt and Tori stepped into the light. She gestured to the room; Derek shrugged and turned towards the window.

It looked like he was smiling the tiniest bit before Tori yanked him out of sight.

The tiny girl let out a sigh and turned to her best friends. "Oh my god," she moaned as she hid her face in the stuffed animal, inhaling the citrusy scent that clung to it as Beth and Miranda pestered her about the "hot guy" she was dating.

"And he's got a nice ass!" declared Kari, a piece of dyed hair falling into her face as she practically vibrated with excitement.

_This is going to be hell, _Chloe thought as her friends jabbered and her mind whirled to figure out a name for the stuffed animal in her arms, who reminded her of a certain anti-social boy.


	4. Chapter 4

Crazy

Four

Oh, This Is A Crawl Space?

Within a few weeks, she was back to normal and everyone but her, Rae, and Derek were heading to the pool. Since Chloe was on her period and refused to use tampons, she opted out. Derek, oddly, wasn't allowed out. She wasn't sure about Rae's excuse.

Chloe decided to see her friends off and stood by the door, wearing a loose _Kill La Kill _sweatshirt she'd stolen from Beth, who was a die hard otaku, and cut offs. Tori stood by her, dressed in shorts and flip-flops, not bothering with a cover up; her dark sunglasses took up half her face.

"But we get to the pool! I love the water," Liz was babbling, brushing away her long hair with every word. Chloe smiled at Simon, who was approaching with a tall, red-haired boy she'd never seen. "Chloe, this is Nate, Nate, this is Chloe." The redhead grinned, freckles flashing.

"I'm his boyfriend," he mock-whispered and Simon's face flushed bright red as he smacked the tall boy's shoulder. The sound made Chloe flinch but Nate simply grinned it off, swept Simon into his arms and paraded around like a strutting peacock.

She laughed until tears streamed from her eyes and she had to clutch the banister to keep from falling. Simon had gone silent and so had Nate. The banister moved and she yelped. "The banister moved!" she squeaked.

"I'm not a banister, Chloe," rumbled a familiar voice and she turned. Tori snorted a laugh as Simon broke into giggles. "S-sorry," Chloe apologized as her face warmed at the sight of Derek behind her. Tori snickered. "Don't be," Nate interjected, patting Chloe's head in an annoying brotherly way, like he knew all the answers to the problems.

She swatted his hand away. Why was Derek here? To see Simon off? Maybe.

"Oh, _Derek_."

It dawned on her _that _was why. To get awayfrom _her_. Rae came around the corner, grinning like a idiot but stopped short and the grin fell of her face when she saw Chloe still gripping Derek's arm. Chloe dropped her hand quickly but not quick enough for Rae's tastes, if the look she shot the blonde was any indication.

Rae then plastered on a fake smile and walked closer; Derek scooted closer to Chloe and she couldn't help it. She burst into laughter, making everyone jump.

She laughed and laughed and laughed, until she was on her knees from it, her stomach cramping as she struggled to breathe. Tears streamed from her eyes as she gasped for breath, her lungs aching, stomach throbbing from the laughter. "I-I-I—" She stopped, glanced up at Derek, who looked, for the most part, horrified at being so close to Rae, and burst into laughter all over again.

It took several calming breaths for her to be able to breath again. "What the hell was that all about?" snarled Rae, her heel nearly stabbing Chloe in the hand. She scrabbled back and got to her feet quickly.

"Simon and I were being stupid," Nate said sharply, turning the dark-skinned girl's attention to him. They stared at each other, Simon sandwiched between them, until Nurse Van Dop cleared her throat and stepped between them.

Chloe caught a glimpse of a faded bruise around the nurse's eye before she ushered the kids out the door and gave the three standing in the foyer a meaningful look. The door closed with a click and silence became evident.

"I'm gonna go shower," Derek muttered and turned away; Chloe felt a prickle of fear crawl up her spine and squeeze her chest with a vice. Ice pumped through her veins. Why did he leave her alone with—

"I-I-I—" The look Rae flashed her was sugary and sweet but something dark clouded her eyes, dark enough to make Chloe want to step out of her body and evaluate the situation from a ghost's point of view.

Chloe turned and ran away.

oOo

Hair damp and sticking to the back of her sweatshirt, Chloe made her way downstairs, bare feet sticking to the cold, cold floor. In the TV room sat Derek, sitting at the computer, sleeves rolls to his elbows, showing off his surprisingly muscular forearms; it looked like he was playing a military game. She stood there, water dripping down her back, watching him, studying him.

His lanky hair was combed back by his fingers and water dripped down his muscular neck, down his broad back. He looked flushed, the skin of his fingertips pink, suggesting he'd taken a shower. "I know you're there," he said, startling her.

She jumped. "How?" she asked softly. He shrugged off her question and turned, an arm draped over the back of the chair. "Where's the molester?" he asked calmly. "M-M-molester?" Chloe echoed.

His green eyes met hers. "Rae. You know, the one who hangs on my every word even when I'm telling her point that I have no interest in her, none what so ever." A smile flitted across her lips. "I'm not sure." She walked closer to Derek and snatched up a pillow, hugging it to her chest as she leaned over his lap, peering at the screen.

_Call of Duty: Ghost Protocol. _

"I didn't peg you as a Call of Duty fan," she said with a smile. His lips twitched. "Yeah." She grabbed a kitchen chair and pulled it up next to him. "So, tell me how to play," she said.

oOo

Everything was dark. Cold. Damp. It smelled like musty basement. Her head was aching and she felt groggy. Her mouth tastes fuzzy, like cotton balls.

_What the hell? _She tried to sit up only to find she couldn't; shock knocked away her drowsiness and she began to frantically try to sit up. Her arms were bound, her legs too; duct tape pulled at the skin around her mouth.

She was breathing heavily when she heard a voice say, "Hey, Rae, have you seen Chloe?" Derek. She tried to scream but nothing came out; panic was tight in her chest as her heart hammered like a mallet in her ribcage. Rustling, like fabric.

"No," Rae replied. The clicking of her heels echoed in Chloe's ears. She squeezed her eyes shut and struggled to her knees. She smacked her head hard on the low ceiling. Her mind was racing as she began to inch forward. What had happened?

She thought back. She and Derek had been talking when Rae walked in as Derek showed Chloe the mechanics of his game. Chloe decided to head upstairs to get her phone, DS maybe? Rae walked in. In her hand she held something, a broken red rectangle. A brick.

Chloe scooted, slipped, and cracked her nose on a column and sat back as blood gushed from her nose. Her stomach cramped. Hit. Rae had hit her in the back of the head, dragged her down to the crawl space and gagged and bound her. Royce…and two other boys helped Rae get the crawl space door open.

She remembered the laughter as the door shut. Now, she was stuck. Stuck in one of the places she hated the most. Tears dripped down her face as her nose throbbed. Something moved behind her, a scuttling. She remembered her aunt saying there were tons of rats in crawl spaces.

Chloe scooted faster but froze when something cold slid across her foot as she realized she was barefoot.

A moan rose behind her as cold fingers wrapped around her bare ankle.


	5. Chapter 5

Crazy

Five

Just chilling down here, Derek.

She screamed so loudly, she thought her head would burst. Her temples throbbed with the rush of blood as fear spiked through her. A cold finger touched her ankle and she kicked, hard. Something snapped and she squinted into the darkness, catching a fuzzy glimpse of something moving.

Anything in her bladder gave way and she scrabbled back, flailing as her bound legs wiggled uselessly. There was another moan as she struggled, her wet jeans digging and chafing her thighs. _Oh my god, _she thought frantically as the thing moved again, brushing her shoulder.

The rancid stench made her stomach flip-flop, threatening to heave. "Gah, gah," said the thing and she caught of a half-rotted skull and she _really _screamed. A rush of blood surged in her jeans and soaked her underwear. Terrified, she snapped her legs out and the skull—zombie, whatever it was—toppled back. It wailed and her hands shook as her fingers scraped at the rope holding her.

They bit into her skin and blood made her fingers slippery. Finally, the rope began to unravel and soon her hands were free. Rustling started behind her and she clawed at the binding on her feet, cheering mentally when it came undone.

Something knocked into her side and she hit her head hard on a pillar. Stars exploded as blood dripped down her face; cold, skeleton hands clawed at her back, scraped against her skin and she spun and kicked one, twice until the zombie dropped away.

She turned and began to crawl, hearing the thumps and shrieks of the dead behind her fading. Her jeans were soaked and really uncomfortable.

"Chloe!"

A hulking figure appeared, illuminated by light. The crawl space door was open and someone found her! She scrambled closer and yelped as she tripped and plowed nose-first into the ground. Blood gushed.

"Chloe, it's me!"

And she saw Derek's glittering green eyes, watching her, his hands reaching. She grasped his forearms and burst into tears against his chest. "I-I-I—dead—z-zom—" she babbled as he stroked her hair.

"I found her!" he called and two sets of shoes appeared. A rat-eyed red-haired woman crouched down and whispered, "Oh my god." The tall, lanky man ignored her and offered a hand, "Let's get you cleaned up, little Chloe Saunders," he said.

oOo

Safe in comfy sweatpants, a change of underwear and her nose bandaged, Chloe sat quietly in Dr. Davidoff's office, (the very tall man), glancing curiously at Derek, who sat in a slouched position, looking very bored. Whenever he caught her staring, he'd hold her gaze until her face warmed and she looked away.

"What on earth were you doing down there?" Dr. Gil (the woman) asked, folding her hands on the table. "I-I c-can't remember," Chloe said weakly and the doctor's stare hardened. "Chloe, you were assaulted and drugged," she said quietly, casting a glance at Derek.

"Derek noticed you were missing and alerted us. You could've died from fright, suffocated," Dr. David off told her, stepping close with a leather bound book in hand. Chloe fidgeted. Just the thought of Rae finding out made her break into a sweat. "I _really _don't know," she rasped out, tears prickling her eyes. She wiped at her face quickly.

"That's all, Chloe. Just…tell us if you do." Dr. Gil didn't sound convinced but she let it go; Chloe got to her feet and headed towards the door. "Oh, Derek," called Dr. Davidoff as Chloe pulled open the door. "Keep an eye out."

"What're you wiping at he?" he whispered to her as they walked down the hallway, shoulder-to-mid bicep. "Why didn't you tell them it was her?" he asked suddenly as he swung himself in front of Chloe's path and crossed his arms. His eyes stared down into her.

"It w-w-wasn't her," Chloe muttered, lowering her eyes from his. Slowly, they trailed the length of his body before they rested on an innocent part, his shoes. His shoes were soccer-ball sized and white, just like one too.

"Chloe," he growled and her eyes snapped up to his face, noting the anger in his eyes as he bore down on her, like an animal. "She could've _killed _you, do you _understand _that?" he snarled.

She stepped back, fear seizing in her gut. A door slammed and he backed off, but his shoulders were tight, tense. He looked like he was going to tell her off some more but decided against it; he walked out of her path and trailed behind her, wordlessly, soundlessly.

Fifteen feet, she glanced back and he was behind her still. Twenty feet. Twenty-five. Down the staircase. He followed. "Would you, like, go away?" she asked as she entered the kitchen. Behind the counter, Royce was peeling an apple, whistling. Whistling. Her brain stuttered.

Footsteps thundered as she woke with a jolt, half-asleep, half-awake, wisps of a dream slipping away. A laugh. A whistle, some pop song. Royce's voice. "See how afraid the schizo is of the dark. Bogeymen and monsters, right?" The slap of hands on flesh, high-fiving him, patting his back.

"He was there."

She turned. Derek hovered behind her, expression dark as night as he glowered at the other boy. Royce tossed the apple in the air and caught it with a grin. Turned. Saw Chloe and the grin flashed fresh, widening. His teeth looked pointy, like a shark's.

A hand crawled out of the cabinet and then another, fingers grey and skin hanging in chunks. _Plop. _A piece sizzled on the counter top. _Plop. _A chunk landed on Royce's foot. She took a deep breath to keep from screaming.

"Hey, Chloe," he greeted like an old friend and she clenched her fists. Nails bit in. She could feel blood weld up under the skin. "H-hi," she answered, forcing politeness as he bit into his skinless apple. _Plop. _The hands vanished. _Plop. _It was the sink, dripping.

Derek's hand touched her back and she relaxed. Royce's eyes narrowed. And then he was back to smiles, eyes still simmering with anger. "I'll see you around," he said and brushed passed them, knocking into Derek's shoulder. Her hand shot around his thick wrist.

"Royce?" Chloe called. He stopped. Turned. "I don't believe I will." His smile dropped and the dark, inhumane anger took over his face again.

"You've just created some enemies." Derek watched Royce leave before he opened the fridge, pulling out a cup of sugar-free vanilla pudding.

"Oddly, it doesn't bother me." She hopped up onto the counter.

A snort as he rattled through the silverware drawer for a spoon. Taking a bite of his pudding, he shrugged. "Until they kill you after they stuff you in a crawl space," he grunted.

She paused, playing with her necklace. "You'll be there to safe me." His green eyes flashed up to her blue ones, confused, and then cautious and he took another bite.

Slowly, he nodded. "I'll try," he said.


	6. Chapter 6

This is what I get for watching Revolutionary Girl Utena for four days straight and finishing it a few minutes ago.

* * *

><p>Crazy<p>

Six

Things quietly settled down after the crawl space. Tori was glued to Chloe every minute of the day, especially when things started…happening. Things started disappearing from her room.

First, it was a few bras vanished. Nothing too serious. Liz and Tori couldn't find it; didn't see it when they were doing the laundry. Next was her panties, the poka dot and cat-print ones.

"Why would _anyone _want your stupid, little girl underwear?" sneered Rae when confronted. Chloe's cheeks warmed dangerously when she noticed Derek lingering behind Rae. _Why should I care if you know someone's been taking my underthings? _she wondered as her heart pounded. His head tilted her way and his green eyes locked onto hers; the pounding increased tenfold and her entire body flushed, not just her cheeks.

He held her gaze, staring, until she broke it, unable to meet his eyes any longer. The door swung shut behind him.

oOo

_Chloe Saunders is a dirty slut. _

Tears blurred her vision as the words mocked her, written in bright red lipstick, scarlet. Her little girl underwear had been tacked up, along with her double A-cup bras, the words "slut" and "little girl" written on every cup.

"Who would do this?" Simon asked quietly as he and Nate hugged Chloe between them; her knuckles ached from where she'd bitten them to keep from crying, the skin irritated and indented with teeth marks.

"I know who," she said, her voice deathly soft. Humiliation shifted gears, shifting towards anger. Her entire face had went up in flames when she first saw it but this time she wasn't ignited with embarrassment; it was anger, pouring hot and acidic in her veins, making her heart pound.

"Her?" Simon's head tracked her.

"You mean Rae? Yeah." She got to her feet and stalked towards Rae's room.

oOo

Chloe had never been in a fight in her entire life. Not verbal, and _certainly _not physical. Now, she was _itching _to punch Rae in the face.

"Rae! Come out! I know it was you!" She pounded on the locked door and someone inside swore. It didn't sound like Rae; it was deeper, masculine. The door opened and Royce stepped out, shirtless, his jeans hanging off his bony hips.

Bile rose in her throat when she saw Rae's state of dress—or lack of really, and the smell was too distinct to go unnoticed. Royce noticed her then, pausing to watch her. "Oh, hello, Chloe," he said pleasantly, smiling a predator's smile. Something dark clouded in his eyes as he buttoned his jeans and zipped them, hiding the evidence of his sin.

Rae was in her bed, sheets covering her nudity; her hair was free of her cornrows and cascading in a curtain of soft curls, the color of copper. She looked dazed, but content, her cheeks glowing with red, flushed. Her clothes lay scattered across the floor.

Royce reached behind him and pulled out a white v-neck, yanking it on as he shouldered passed Chloe, who was speechless with embarrassment. She watched him casually walk down the steps, like he owned them, tucking in his shirt slowly. "Guess who's now who the _real _slut is," Chloe spat venomously, surprising herself.

Rae's head looked up. She had tears in her eyes.

Chloe slammed the door and walked away.

oOo

"Does anyone here have a grudge against you?" asked Dr. Gil, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. Chloe pretended to think, forcing an air of confusion. "No," she said, punctuating the end with a soft sob, "All I've done is be nice. I can't think of anyone who'd want to do this." A complete, big, fat _lie. _She met the doctor's beady eyes, and held her eyes open until tears pooled along the rims and spilled down her flushed cheeks.

Dr. Gil handed her a box of tissues and Chloe plucked one, dabbing at her cheeks and wiping her nose. "We'll be on watch. Question every one you've had contact with," the doctor said.

_I know who did this. Why were you crying, looking so dazed, like a forlorn princess? Why do you hate me so? _

Chloe nodded like a good girl and she was let out. The minute she got out of the hall, she wiped her face clean of any traces of crying and popped into the bathroom to splash some cool water on her flushed cheeks. She stared at her reflection for the longest time.

On the way out, she bumped into Derek. "Did you beat her up?" he asked, grabbing her arm tight. His face was inches from hers. "W-what?" she squeaked, her breath freezing in her lungs at the anger in his eyes, the set of his jaw, perspiration on his lip.

"Did you beat up Rae?"

"N-no, wh-why?"

"Someone's done it and they think you had me do it," he snapped. Something frightening flared in his eyes and she stepped back. He noticed and quickly backed off, avoiding her eyes. He was rigid still, his shoulders tense and she knew he wasn't done.

"I saw her, just before Gil called me in," she said slowly, "and Royce—h-he was w-wa-alking out of her room. He gave me a smile and then walked away. She…looked so lonely."

"He came out of her room?" Derek had a thoughtful look, his body wound tight.

"Shirtless. He didn't even bother trying to cover it up," she said.

"Cover what up?" he asked.

"She was naked, her clothes scattered, and she had only the sheet on. But, I-I…" She didn't want to continue but forced the words out. "I got mad, so mad. I said, 'Guess who's now the _real _slut,' and when she looked up at me, she was crying. She looked so sad, so scared…I slammed the door and ran."

"And you didn't tell _Gil_ this?" he snapped, close to her face. "It was _him! _It _has _to be," he growled and he grabbed her by the arm again. His grip was crushing. Fear seized her chest and she panicked; she struggled and her nails scraped against his cheek. He grunted.

"Knock it off, Chloe. You _need _to stay away from those two," he hissed. "You think I don't _know _that?" she spat back and shoved him hard. He stumbled and the contact on her arm was broken. Tears swam as her bicep throbbed.

"You think I'm the stupid, flighty blonde, don't you? All you do is make me fee worse than I already do, which, by the way, is pretty hard but you always manage to make me feel two inches tall." To her horror, a tear rolled down her cheek.

"J-Just leave me a-alone!"

She turned on her heel and ran, nearly bowling over Tori and smacking into Ramon. He stared down at her with dark, dangerous eyes but wiped away a tear from her eyelashes with a gentle finger. She swallowed hard and darted into the bathroom.

As she sat under the hot water, she cried and her arm throbbed and her brain spun in circles, memories of Derek, Ramon, Rae, everyone floating through her brain.

_Why? Why? WHY? _


	7. Chapter 7

Crazy

Seven

I broke Royce's nose?

On Wednesday, Aunt Lauren dropped by to speak with Dr. Davidoff about Chloe's progress. Ever since Thursday of last week, Chloe couldn't bear to be in the same room as Derek—or Ramon or _anyone _for that matter. Her nerves were jittery and shaky and she was a ball of antsy, twitching and drumming her long fingers, her eyes flickering about.

"What's up?" It was Royce, grinning at her in a malicious way that made her feel naked. Her anxiety spiked as she clenched her fist, feeling her nails dig in. "Not in the mood," she forced out, ignoring the way her muscles were twitching and her hands trembling.

He leaned in too close and she stepped back, balling a hand into a tighter fist. His dark eyes gleamed excitedly as he flashed his teeth again, invading her bubble. She pressed the tip of her tongue against her teeth as she tried to listen to hear aunt speaking hurriedly with Dr. Davidoff.

Royce grabbed her arm and she spun around, letting her book fall from her hands and her fist cut through the air. It landed against his nose with a loud crunch. Minutes scampered by. Royce was staring at her from the floor with such hate, he could've melted a steel beam with such a glare; Chloe was staring at her fist with surprise; and Aunt Lauren and Dr. Davidoff were demanding to know what happened.

"What did you do?" spat Aunt Lauren, scowling down at Royce. He was sputtering as his nose began to bleed when a voice from the side of the staircase spoke up, "He fell, Dr. Fellows."

Chloe half-expected Ramon, who seemed to like to save her but—her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him—it was just Derek. He was dressed in a tight black tanktop and ragged jeans, impressive and tall, like a shadow crawled to life. She didn't know whether to laugh or scream or run the other way as his green eyes skimmed passed her and landed on Dr. Fellows and Dr. Davidoff. It was like she didn't even _register _in his stupid radar.

She clenched her jaw while Derek spewed lies and turned to her with a look that read "You're in so much trouble", which she pointedly ignored as she walked passed him. He caught her belt loop and she stumbled back, embarrassed when she yelped. He was staring into her eyes in that stupid intense way he had and she could feel the blood rushing in her veins, her heart pounding, throwing itself against her ribcage.

"Derek?"

It was Dr. Davidoff, breaking the trance and he grunted and dropped Chloe's waistband. Her cheeks aflame, she turned to her aunt, who was eyeballing Derek with a sharp dislike. Did she know?

Her aunt turned and walked away without another word. Royce sneered and flipped her off behind her back and scurried away like a wounded, prideful animal. Derek stared at her a little longer with those sharp eyes before he left too.

"Be careful." His lip curled in disgust and she felt her skin crawl, every hair stand up on end.

oOo

"Wow," sneered Rae as Chloe walked out of the bathroom, damp from a shower. She looked horrible, Chloe noticed, with dark circles and patchy makeup and she looked gaunt, like a skeleton. Her normally well-cared for hair hung in frizzy curls and her clothes hid her body, like she was afraid to show something.

"What?" Chloe asked. "You really _do _look like a little girl in the boob department," the diva said loudly and the schizophrenic swore, attempting to shoulder passed the other girl. But Rae grabbed her sweatshirt and pulled her back.

"I…"

Chloe could see dark skin under the makeup. Bruises? Dark, baggy circled underlined Rae's dark chocolate eyes and she looked thin-faced, cheekbones jutting. Had she been eating? Chloe didn't remember seeing her at dinner or lunch or breakfast; in fact, since the underwear incident last week, she'd hardly seen the other girl at all.

"Move, please. I need…to take a shower." Her railing thin, bony hand let go of Chloe's sweatshirt. "Rae, what's going on?" she asked. But Rae had slammed the door and the water was running.

oOo

Things kept deteriorating. Rae hardly stepped out of her room. Chloe, for the life of her, couldn't figure out why Derek was here…or Ramon for that matter. It was obvious Royce was all sorts of crazy and so was Tori with her seesaw of moods, crying, screaming, throwing things.

"What I mean," Chloe stressed, pushing her soggy carrots across her plate as they ate dinner, "I don't see why_ you're_ here. You don't see g-ghosts or throwing things." Derek stiffened like a statue beside her, his face darkening. He didn't say anything; he was just silent, staring, staring absently ahead as he shoveled bite after bite into his mouth.

"It was nothing," Simon said loudly, waving his fork at her. Flecks of enchilada speckled the table. "A misunderstanding."

"A rather _violent _misunderstanding," laughed Royce as he pulled out his chair and flopped down, slamming his overloaded plate onto the table. The silver wear clattered and her glass teetered, sloshing milk onto the tablecloth. "What?" she stuttered out. "A violent misunderstanding," he repeated, a slow smile working up from the corners of his mouth. Chills slid down her back. "Isn't that right, Derek?" he sneered.

"No." Derek set down his glass quietly and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, staring straight ahead. His eyes were glassy, and unfocused, like he was stuck in a memory. "It's not." He shook his head and picked apart his enchilada, peeling the tortilla away, shoving the meat to the left half of his plate. "It was nothing." His eyes glanced at her, sharp and intellectual now.

"Really? I remember correctly that they called the police." Royce's eyebrow arched as he smirked, leaning closer. It was then that she noticed the white bandage on his nose, the splits holding it straight. Derek shoved away from the table and collected his things.

It was the first time he hadn't finished his food.


	8. Chapter 8

Crazy

Eight

I Think It's Called A Love Triangle

Rachelle Rodgers never thought she'd end up like her mama. Her mama was a good, strong, _smart _woman who just fell for the wrong man. _You're so alike, _people used to say as they kicked at her mama and spit at her and called her a slut—all because her mama had fallen for a man who happened to like to hit her. Okay, he e_njoyed _hitting her…a lot.

She stared at her bony fingers, with their translucent skin and blood red fingernails, rings gleaming and thought hard. "You have to go outside eventually," someone from behind her said and she saw Ramon in the doorway, watching her with dark, hooded eyes.

"What?" she blurted and winced when she realized her teeth were flecked with blood. Her cheek burned as she remembered how Royce had struck her, slamming into her hard until she was numb and gone and floating in that lovely space. He always was so rough; at first, it was wild and kinky and amazing but now it left her feeling tired and sick and so very

very disgusting

so disgusting.

_Nothing but a slut, _she thought darkly as she yanked a brush through the bristly remains of her hair. All this stress was getting to her; she looked like death on two legs, growing thinner and thinner each day, paler and paler,

so pale

almost like a china doll

And she could hardly stand to see her ugly reflection. All the sorrow in her eyes, like washed-down chocolates, and the bloody corner of her lips; every time she moved her head, she saw the red-and-brown bruised hickey, teeth indents gross and puffy, like he'd been trying to chew her skin off.

"I know what he does," he said suddenly, crossing the room within a few strides. Her heart thumped

twice loudly

thrice shrilly

against her thin chest and she thought she saw the skin there jumping, like her heart was trying escape. She carefully lowered her eyes and paused as she felt him behind her, his hands on her shoulders. They looked lovely together, his creamy skin against her darker tone.

"Please, Rachelle, let me help you," he whispered and his voice broke, his Russian accent dark and thick and exotic. She wanted to burst into tears and

slap him silly

and kiss his teeth

and kick him in his gut

and maybe do all those things.

Instead, brokenly, she whimpered, "How?" For a very long time, he didn't answer, just took the brush from her and stroked her hair, brushing through it softly, like she was fragile and worth something and not a complete waste of space, like she deserved the air that Royce loved to choke out of her.

"We get rid of Royce." His eyes met hers and he smiled dangerously; he looked like a devil in the disguise of an angel.

oOo

The sun was high in the sky when she peeked out of her bedroom. Downstairs, there was a few snippets of normal, human conversation as she headed for the stairs. A door slammed and she stumbled, her bones throbbing from the impact of her fall.

"Are you o-okay?"

She craned her head back and saw wide, baby blue eyes and freckled cheeks. Curls of the palest shade of red. Pale lashes. Chloe Saunders. "Yeah," Rae managed out a bit shakily as Chloe helped her to her feet, "I am."

"Are you coming to lunch?"

She shied away from the shorter girl, painfully conscious of her wild, neglected hair and bruises and bleeding corners of her mouth, the terror that filled her eyes. _Make some friends, _Ramon had told her gently, dabbing at the blood.

"Yeah," she said, quietly at first, her voice hoarse and sleepy, and then she said it louder, stronger. She had Ramon to back her up now.

"I think I will."

oOo

They were staring, staring, staring with their stupid, stupid eyes and mouths open and the conversations died. Immediately, she felt the full force of her toxic habits with Royce and she had to sit down right there in the middle of the floor before her legs crumpled. Chloe let out a sound of alarm but Rae waved her off.

"I haven't walked for such a long time," she muttered as he voice cracked. She felt broken and tired and she wanted to sleep forever, curl up in Ramon's arm and hear him say everything would be okay and that she could sleep.

"You okay?"

"Yeah…I-I think…" She faltered as heavy, familiar footsteps thudded and a voice sneered, "What's this?"

She looked up and her mouth stopped knowing what words and what was the sound of nothing; she shaped words that never came out as Liam's cold, grey eyes stared down at her. Fear and anxiety unfurled in her stomach as his mouth twisted a little bit.

"I've fallen and I can't seem to get up," she rasped and he reached down, God he was so gorgeous and deadly, just like Ramon, and she wanted to bury her face in his skin and drink him up forever, and hoisted her up, like she weighed nothing.

"Save me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, Chloe," she managed to joke weakly before he swept her out of the room. The door was swinging wildly and the last thing she saw were worried blue eyes staring at her like she'd signed her death certificate.

oOo

"Here." He shoved something at her as she sat up in his and Ramon's room, dizzy and feeling light as a feather. Like she wasn't wasting away. "Has Ramon told you?" she asked in a whisper, crawling closer. She felt weak and heavy and light and strong and it was all so very, very, _very _confusing. She blinked at him, looking at where the rays of sun streamed around his broad shoulders.

"We're going to get rid of him," she mumbled, taking the sandwich from his rough hands and taking a bite. Jelly squished between her gums. Peanut butter glued her lips shut and she pretended that she couldn't speak when Liam hounded her gently for more information.

Then, with her belly fuller than it had been in weeks and her appetite back, she curled up in a patch of warm, warm sun and closed her eyes and dreamt of leaving with Liam and Ramon.


	9. Chapter 9

Crazy

Nine

Beauty and the Beast

"Watch out for Derek," Tori said quietly as she slid into a seat beside Chloe. Chloe's plate was full of soggy, lukewarm pancakes and she'd just taken a bite when the brunette flopped down.

Tori looked rumpled as ever, messy hair and naked face with exception of some lip gloss as she slumped, her tanktop collar sliding lower, showing off her cleavage and brutally protruding collarbone. She looked like a half-asleep princess.

"He's in a shit mood," Simon whispered as he slipped into the chair on the opposite side of her, on the end, close to Rae, who was picking the almonds out of her pancakes. She looked a lot better, her hair messy though and pulled into a bun that was pinned up with a butterfly hairclip; her cheeks had filled out and she looked a bit healthier, livelier. She hadn't pulled anything lately and she seemed happier, hanging around Liam and Ramon, secret smiles and tucking hair behind each other's ears.

Royce stormed in, seething and Rae stiffened. Next to her, on each side, Liam and Ramon glanced at each other over her head and shared a look. Royce stopped dead in tracks, taking in the scene: Chloe sitting on the far right end, Tori to her right, at the head of the table, Simon on the other end to Tori, Rae sitting across from Chloe, Liam and Ramon flanking her.

The table sat three to each side and one on each end.

"Hello," he said slowly, a grim smile spreading across his mouth, casting dark, bruised shadows under his eyes; he looked like a madman. "Good morning," Liam replied, leaning close to Rae and putting a hand on her shoulder; Royce's face twisted with hot, inhumane rage. "Good day," said Ramon, his voice thick with Russian accent, his dark eyes flicking to Chloe almost amused. Were they _trying _to start a fight with Royce?

A cold feeling of fear and dread crept down her spine as she realized, dropping her fork, that they _were. _Royce's head turned slowly towards Chloe, pinning her to her seat with a frightening rage in his dark, bottomless eyes. "Good morning, beautiful," he whispered, his voice ragged and heady; she shrank back into her seat.

"Don't be like that, love," murmured Ramon, tucking a piece of hair behind Rae's ear; she smiled shyly. Her dark chocolate brown eyes met Chloe's and she saw terror and anticipation. Royce's jaw twitched as he spun suddenly, darkness seeping from every sway of his muscles. He was already agitated, growing even more.

Chloe wasn't sure what Liam and Ramon did but it sent Royce over edge; he launched himself across the table and Liam met him in a sharp pounce, gliding through the air like a wolf going for the kill.

The collision was a loud, terrifying crack that rocked her to the core; her stomach coiled in a tight ball of dread as Liam's head lifted, blood dripping from his mouth. Royce's nose gushed as Liam drew his arm back, fist curled tight. Rae was frozen, eyes wide; Ramon was lurching across the table, yanking Liam back with arms around his waist, shouting to Chloe. "Stop Royce!"

Despite herself, she found herself out of her seat and threw herself at Royce, intending to pull him away from Liam. Stars exploded as Royce's elbow made contact with her mouth, sending her stumbling backwards, landing on her back.

The entire room went silent as a shadow fell across her, long and black as night. A hand brushed the top of her head, stroking the curls and another turned her face towards him, sea-green eyes glaring at her. "Stop," Derek rumbled in anger, his eyes narrowing at Royce. He sneered and Liam sat back, pressed a wad of napkins against his mouth. "Make me, mutt," snapped Royce.

"Stay here. Out of the way."

It happened fast, too fast for her eyes to even register or track it. Derek had lunged across the space and stood in front of Royce, massive and intimidating. He looked like a mighty beast, ready to strike and Chloe, tasting blood on her teeth, found herself rooting for him.

"Mr. Souza!"

Shit.

It was Dr. Gil.

"What have you done?"

oOo

"Royce s-started it," Chloe said, squeezing her hands into fists. Her mouth tasted bloody still but Dr. Gil checked out her mouth, said nothing was broken or knocked loose. Dr. Gil looked dubious, her thin eyebrows arching, racing to her hairline.

"He lunged at Liam across the t-table," she continued, twisting the edge of her sweatshirt; Dr. Gil clicked her pen. Her eyes narrowed. "I'm not sure w-what pissed him o-off so much but it all happened so fast." Every word made her teeth ache and a fresher taste of blood filled her mouth.

"Interesting," murmured the beady-eyed woman. "You may go."

oOo

Rae and Ramon were curled up in the loveseat, watching the VHS tape of Beauty & the Beast. It was her favorite scene, Belle meeting the Beast, their eyes meeting. His blue, her brown; he was massive and frightening; she was small and not very frightening. _"Come into the light," Belle told him and his eyes widened but he obeyed._

Chloe watched Rae, her cheeks red as Ramon stroked her hair, meeting her blue eyes over the coppery braids. Something nameless settled over her and she managed a smile; the corner of his mouth turned upright and Rae's head turned towards her. "What are you? A voyeur?" she said with a short laugh.

The strawberry blonde's face burned as she stuttered something, turned, and fled as Belle sank into tears on the screen, her father thrown in that creepy carriage, and Beast heading back to his new beautiful prisoner.

She was heading up the staircase when someone stopped her. Liz stood there, grinning from ear to ear; her long, blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her blue earrings brought out the green of her eyes. "Derek's looking for you," she said and then bounced away, hair swinging.

_Why would he be looking for me? _Chloe wondered as she turned tail and headed up the boy's side cautiously, her heart pounding with each step. Which room was Derek's? It was as she turned to go that she caught sight of him passing in the mirror.

She looked fair and quaint next to him; he was dark and bold. His head turned and water dripped into his eyes. Her cheeks burned as she realized he was naked…with the exception of a towel.

"S-sorry!"

A snort.

"Don't be."

His green eyes looked at her then and her heart thumped, blood pounding through her veins, in her ears. She trembled when he brushed passed her, pausing just behind her as she looked into the mirror again.

He was dark, foreboding, and dangerous; she was light, calming, and harmless.

_Beauty and the beast indeed, _she thought as she turned away from the reflection and bumped into him. He lost the grip on his towel and her face burned like hellfire.

She stumbled away as Tori cackled and fled down the stairs. "Damn it," he sighed from the landing as he tucked his towel back around his waist.

"He doesn't look bad," Tori said, squinting up at him as he flipped her off. "True," crowed Liz, "if I liked guys."

"He does," Chloe admitted before heading to room for a long, long nap.


	10. Chapter 10

Crazy

Ten

Horror

They'd been whispering all damn day and it was really grating on Chloe's nerves. Every time she was close, the whispering stopped and everyone pretended they hadn't been gossiping.

As for Derek, he just ignored it but even _she _could tell it was getting to him. He'd snapped at Liz three times today and made her cry; to which Tori had called him a monster. Something sinister had taken over his face, dark enough to make everyone back up, even the doctors, but Chloe had simply laid a hand on his arm and he turned to her, looking very much like simply, only Derek, and he'd relaxed.

He apologized to Liz, looking a bit lost as she forgave him and threw her arms around him in an embrace. Chloe's smile was burned onto her lips.

Shaking her head, Chloe leaned over her test. _What is the geometric mean of 8 and 12? _Around her, the whispering was fierce, Nurse Wang ignoring it them because she didn't care, and Chloe could feel the tension getting thicker and thicker. Her leg bounced as Royce whispered quietly to Liam. Liam was twittering low in reply, his deep voice distinguishable with his sharp twang.

"Oh my God!" she blurted, anger boiling over. "Will you _shut up_? All I've heard this week is your damn whispering!" Royce stood in a long, liquid motion and braced himself against the desk, his sharp canines flashing. He looked murderous and she, for a very long time, felt genuinely terrified. "Want to know _what _we've been whispering about?" he asked in a low, quiet voice, sounding frightening. "Your little killer boyfriend," he sneered without waiting for an answer.

"And what of him?" she spat, bristling as he licked his lips. A feral animal crouched in his eyes. "He's a killer. That's why he's here."

Blinking, she glanced over at Derek, who didn't appear to be listening but his fists were clenched and his jaw bunched, head turned towards the window, his jaw in his palm. Was he bothered by her knowing his mistake? Chloe crossed her arms. "And so are you," she answered.

Royce faltered suddenly, a shadow darkening his expression. "What do you mean?" he growled. She held her chin higher and locked her trembling knees together, breathing deeply to keep from stuttering. "I mean Austin, your brother. You bludgeoned him to death with dumbbells. It was all over the news."

"And so was Killer Mutt," replied Royce but she could see the uncertainty in his eyes, his words faltering although his rancid expression didn't. A chair screeched and every head turned, except Chloe kept her eyes locked on Royce. "You're nothing but a monster. Derek, on the other hand, is _nothing _like you. You're cold, calculating and m-manipulative; he's…well, he's Derek and far less disgusting than you. You can't keep your hands to yourself—"

Nurse Wang was hurrying over, a stormy expression dominating her face when Royce lunged and knocked Chloe to the floor. Someone was screaming but she wasn't sure if it was her or Royce or Nurse Wang. It sounded too high to be Royce; maybe it was Liz, who looked horribly close to crying.

"You think you're so grown up," he laughed, and drew his fist back. The punch made her mouth rich with the taste of blood. "Let's see how grown up you are, little girl." It took her several frazzled minutes to piece together what he was going to do; she tried to kick her legs but he clamped them down and placed his hands at the top of her collar. Cold sweat blossomed on her skin, hot from fighting and kicking her legs, struggling with all her might; she felt his nails pinch her skin and with one, casual yank in both directions, the buttons on her blouse popped and scattered about the room. Tears filled her eyes as he stared down at her with a hungry look, triumph glowing in his eyes.

"Get off me, you creep!" She pulled her head back and then snapped it forward, seeing stars as their foreheads connected with a loud crack like a gunshot. "You little—" He reached for her throat, fingers pressing down hard when he touched the skin here as she flailed her arms. Her head pounded.

His weight was gone, lifting off her; behind him, holding him by the back of his shirt, was Derek. Something soft and thick dropped down onto her. His sweatshirt, she realized slowly as Derek hoisted Royce higher into the air, looking murderous. Royce was spitting insults about her, looking mad and hysterical, his lips peeled back to reveal a crazy grin.

"D-Derek!" Chloe scrabbled to her feet, shoving on his sweatshirt over her little girl blue-and-green plaid bra. The warmth and downy softness settled over her, despite the throbbing of her mouth. He turned, his eyes meeting hers over the muscle of his shoulder, and slowly placed Royce on the floor.

"Are you…" He stopped himself, looking embarrassed as he noticed her lack of shirt, eyes unfocused. Her cheeks flamed. "I'm fine, thank you." She stepped closer and closer until they were hardly a breath away, reaching up on her tiptoes to reach his cheeks. His eyes met hers, the color of toxic waste, the color of summertime leaves and limes and avocados.

"Chloe, what are…" He seemed at a loss for words, his eyes widening as she went up on her toes, leaning up. She could see every hair on his eyebrows and eyelashes, the reds of the veins of his eyes, the glimmer on his bottom lashes. He smelled like toothpaste and men's body wash, a fresh, sensual scent all its own. She wanted to kiss his cheek but only managed to hit his mouth, which startled the both of them.

Nurse Wang was hysterically calling for the other nurses as Derek and Chloe's mouths touched, gently and whispery before pulling away. "I-I di-didn't—" she squeaked, surprise written all over her face as a blush stained her cheeks. He shook his head, touching his mouth.

"Dear God, what have you done, boy?" barked out a voice. They turned in unison and she saw an older man with thinning brown hair in a green sweater standing beside her aunt. "A-Aunt L-Lauren," she stammered, stepping forward.

Something walloped her hard in the back, sending her to the floor. Her head cracked on the ground and her vision blurred.

_Bam! _

Her head bounced with the force of the slam.

_Bam! _

Something gave way in her nose and pain exploded, fresh and blood gushed down her nose. Royce was clinging to her, kicking his legs at her, hitting everywhere he could. She rolled onto her side. Her face hurt so badly; it was burning and blood filled her mouth, fresh and bitter. She saw Derek and Ramon struggling to subdue Royce; they spun round and round like a horse on a carousel, doubling. They looked like brothers.

"Chloe!" her aunt screamed loudly, dropping down beside her. Darkness ate away at her vision.

The last thing she saw was Derek's frightened green eyes.


	11. Chapter 11

Crazy

Eleven

Hospital…again.

The room was way too bright and Chloe's head was pounding, her lip throbbing. Her limbs felt heavy like her blood had turned to lead; she tried to roll over and panicked when she couldn't. "Ssh, Chloe," whispered a man's voice, unfamiliar. "I'm Dr. Banks."

_Banks. _

"I'm afraid my nephew has…gone off the rails to say the least…just some bruises but the swelling was extremely heavy and we had to reset your nose." _Bruises? Swelling? What is he talking about? _She thought to herself, blinking hard and suddenly as a light shined into her eyes. There was the sound of a woman crying, gasping. A door opened, closed. Blurry faces swam as tears filled her vision and dripped down her cheeks. "Is your vision clearing?"

She nodded as the blurry film left her eyes with each blink. The first thing she saw was Derek, sitting at the end of her bed, his green eyes focused on her intensely; the second was the man with a thick, black beard and calming smoke-colored eyes.

_Nephew. _

Chloe sat up quickly, ignoring the shooting pain, and asked, eyes darting around, "Where is he?" Her voice came out as a rasp and she coughed, the pressure making her head pound. "He's being held by police." It was Derek who answered, turning his head away from her as he handed her a small, plastic cup. "Derek," she said softly, "What's—"

"Nothing." The answer was short, sharp, and far too quick to fall from his lips. Unusual. Even for him. "Show me your face." He clenched his jaw but slowly turned his head towards her. She gasped, hands flying to stroke his cheeks.

Imprinted on his left eye was a big, black bruise. A _black eye. _Her stomach rolled viciously as she saw spattering of bruises fading down his jaw. "Oh god, Derek," she whispered, wide-eyed as she stared in horror. "Go ahead," he snapped suddenly, "stare all you want."

Anger burned bright and beautiful in his eyes. She sighed softly and gently brought her fingertips, icy and damp from the water he'd handed her, against his bruises. His lips dropped down, lowering, hiding his pearly white teeth. "After you blacked out, I lost my grip on Royce and _bam_. He hit me, hard. Right in the eye. Ramon tackled him and Tori "accidentally" kicked him in the scramble," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you, sweetie," Chloe murmured, gently pressing her lips to his bruises. When she pulled away, his face was reddening and he quickly cleared his throat, obviously embarrassed. She smiled but the action made something in her nose pull tightly and she quickly relaxed her mouth.

"Do I look like the Bride of Frankenstein?" she laughed. "No but it isn't pretty…a bit worse than mine," he said softly, taking her hand in his. Her heart sped up as he slowly handed her a handheld mirror and she inspected the damage.

The flow of bruises from her temple down to her jaw was expected; they were blue and purple and green, some puffier than others; the stitching across her nose, however, wasn't. She gently brushed the little black lines, ignoring the raw tenderness of her healing skin, instead staring at the irritation.

"He's going to pay," Derek said, voicing his thoughts suddenly. She nodded, smiling softly but the motion pulled at her stitches and made her face pound. She was very tired, all of the sudden, and she sank down into the pillows, ignoring the crackling pillowcase and scratchy sheets against her legs. "Stay," she managed to whisper around a large yawn, wincing when it set off more pain in her jaw.

Derek looked fidgety. "If you really want me to, I will," he said, playing with her plushy before pressing it into her arms and she watched him through lowering eyelids, watched him pull up a chair and lay his hand on her hair, gently stroking it.

She closed her eyes and fell asleep to the rhythm of his hand stroking, petting, her hair.

oOo

When she woke up, Derek's hoodie was draped over her and he was in the bathroom, the toilet rumbling and faucet running.

Sighing, Chloe rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling tiles. Why did everything bad happen to her, it seemed? She felt hot, angry tears weld up in her eyes and slip down, rolling down her temples as she laid there in the dim light, Derek's heavy hoodie pressing down on her chest through the blanket.

Her face was aching terribly and the stitches pulled at her skin; every time she blinked, she saw Royce lunging for her, felt the cartilage in her nose crushing, blood gush down her lips; she felt her head hit the floor, pain blearing, as Royce screamed at her. The fabric of Derek's sweatshirt scratching against her bare skin. Blood blurring her vision; Aunt Lauren screaming in her face. Derek's frightened eyes.

She rolled to her side, watching the light shut off. Footsteps sounded, softly; jeans rubbed together. The door closed softly. Then, silence.

Breathing.

"I'm so sorry this happened," he whispered and his voice was thick, like he'd been crying, and he choked, coughing or trying to muffle it. His warmth seeped over her skin as he sat down. "I know you…you probably hate me," he continued, laying his head down on her leg; her fingers brushed the silky hair.

"Royce has always been like that," he said, "I've known him since I was a kid. He's always had his own way of doing things, regardless and indifferent to those who get hurt in his quest for whatever the hell he wants."

She was startling to really fall asleep now. "He and I…used to be friends. Of course, he wasn't this bad; it was either meet his douchebag standards, like tapping girls and telling us about it in detail, or dating no girl that he wants. I guess…he wants you, Chloe, but I'll kill him before he touches you…again." He was trembling slightly and she rested her fingers in his hair, letting herself drift to sleep.

He didn't stir under her hand and she imagined he'd fallen asleep after her.


	12. Chapter 12 (V2)

Crazy

Twelve

Something New (V2)

Chloe returned to Lyle House a few weeks after the worst of the bruises healed and her stitches had been pulled, leaving only the red skin. A million emotions flooded her as she stood in the doorway, watching dust swim in the shafts light coming down from the high, foyer's window, a stain glass of a kneeling woman and a deer. Her throat tightened as she looked to the girl's staircase, remembering Derek cornering her, remembering breaking Royce's nose. She saw the ghosts of Tori and Simon, bickering in the kitchen as Liz led Chloe through the tour.

"Chloe!"

Sniffling, she dabbed at her nose and turned to find Nate bouncing down the steps, a grin lightening up his freckled face. "You're here. I knew we couldn't scare you away!" "Yeah," she admitted with a tired smile. She knew he was staring at the bruises on her face but couldn't drag up the energy to care; instead, she kicked the door shut behind her and the sound reverberated through the window panes and shook the wobbly banisters.

"We're so glad you're back," Nate gushed, smiling wider now as Chloe nodded with a fake grin, exhaustion sweeping over her. "Nate, please," snapped a rough, accented voice. She looked up passed Nate's flaming hair to see Ramon holding Rae's hand and Liam with his arm wrapped around her waist, on the landing. "Do quiet yourself. Chloe looks ready to keel over," Ramon explained unhurriedly, disengaging his hand from Rae's as they descended the stairs.

"Are you three—" Chloe started, staring at him. "Yes, actually," Rae said, twisting a mahogany curl around her finger. "Your hair looks nice," the schizophrenic muttered. "Thanks. My natural hair color was just awful…Royce really did a number on me." Her smile was sad and relieved, speaking volumes.

Her eyes gleamed. "Truce?"

Reluctantly, Chloe met her palm. The smile Rae wore was shy and Chloe saw the sincerity in her brown eyes.

oOo

The door opened, closed. Footsteps creaked. Chloe woke up blearily, wiping the sleep from her eyes as she spotted the tall, bulky figure moving through the room, illuminated by her alarm clock's glow. Panic filled her throat as she bolted up, not daring to breath as the figure felt its way around.

_Royce, _she immediately thought, frantically scrambling out of the bed, kicking the tangled mess of sheets away from her legs and swiping her pillow out of the way. _He's back. Why wouldn't they take him out? Oh Jesus, make him leave. Weapon, you need a weapon. _She dropped to the ground and ran her hand under her bed, grasping the lava lamp Liz had kicked under there. Gripping it firmly in both hands, she felt her pulse beating in her wrists and tried to steady her breathing.

When the figure moved in front of her, she sprang up and swung the lava lamp as hard as she could. There was a loud voice swearing and a muffled thump, hands going for the lamp, grabbing her wrists instead. She wobbled unsteadily, losing her balance, hitting the figure. Her legs crashed out from under her and she hit the figure. "Jesus," gasped the unmistakable voice.

"Derek?" she squeaked. "What?" A gust of hot breath hit her face as she sat there, trembling. A lump grew in her throat when she tried to talk, her nose aching. "I-I—" she started but froze, unable to continue, her eyes stinging with tears. When she hung her head, trying to breathe deep like her therapist had told her so long ago, all she could do was try to keep the tears in, which didn't work.

"Chloe?" She felt him move, sitting up, slowly. Something warm touched her cheek, mindful of her bruises. "T-thought…Royce…" Chloe stopped when his hand cupped her cheek, stroking the bone. "It's okay," he murmured as she squinted into the darkness, trying to see him. His arms wrapped around her. She thought her heart would burst from her chest.

Uncaring of who heard her, she let herself sink into his embrace and cried, loud, high wails that bounced off the walls and crashed mid-air, until she ran out of air, her throat dry, her chest aching. When she sat up, she was mortified to find her face wet with tears and snot; his shirt was soaked with it. "It's okay," he said and she felt a rush of heat.

The door opened. Blinding light flooded. Her face warmed as Dr. Gil stepped in, worry etched deep on her small face. The doctor surveyed them with a look of extreme scrutiny. "Derek, Dr. Davidoff wants to speak with you. Chloe, your aunt is here." Quietly, she climbed off him and trotted out.

oOo

"Get a grip," Chloe hissed to her teary reflection, feeling her face flood with heat as she remembered Derek's arms around her, gently holding her as though she were made of glass, a fragile figurine that he dare not shatter. _Grow up. _Clenching her jaw, she splashed cool water on her face until the flush had left and her eyes were only semi-glossy.

"_Chloe…" _whispered a voice. Her stomach rolled sharply, tucked into itself. Her hands shook as she wrung her towel. "_Chloe…baby…" _She gritted her teeth as she spun around, eyes searching the empty space they rested on. No one. Nothing. No mothers with ocean eyes and tumbling curls, holding their arms out for her.

_Yeah. You need help if you think you just heard your dead mom's voice. _She stayed holed up in the bathroom for a few more minutes, letting a fresh flood of tears ruin her fair complexion and trying to relax.

Once she was partially composed, her nose red and her eyes gleaming, she unlocked the bathroom and stumbled into someone's chest. "Sorry, Chlo," Rae said softly, smiling. Her curls, which had once rolled down her back, now barely even brushed her shoulders. "Like it? Liam did it." Her smile was contagious but soon faded when she noticed the flush on Chloe's face. "Are you okay? I heard the crying a few minutes ago…" The Pyromaniac trailed off.

"I—Derek—I thought Derek was Royce…it brought back a flood…"

Rae smiled sadly and wrapped an arm around her. "I know, sweetie, but—" She stopped, glancing around, "I'll tell you secret." The grin was wide, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. Chloe shivered. "Derek's got a crush on you."

With another smile, the darker girl turned and skipped away, calling to Liz, who was lounging in the TV room with Aunt Lauren.


	13. Chapter 13

Crazy

Thirteen

Something Old

Since she was a little girl, Chloe had never been seen without that signature red pendant around her throat. She wore it everywhere, to dances and parties and even to drama competitions, although it was hidden under her shirt because she wasn't supposed to wear necklaces.

Now, she was in a state of panic and hysteria, clothes flying as she searched for it. Since she'd returned yesterday, too exhausted and swamped to realize it, she hadn't noticed the missing gold chain until Aunt Lauren mentioned it. Screaming in frustration, Chloe kicked the drawer and it rolled off its track, crashing into the floor noisily. "Damn, damn, damn!" she yelled as she slumped to the ground, ignoring the throbbing in her toes and her red fingers from scraping them on the edges of the wood.

"What's up with all the screaming?" A sleep-tousled head of hair poked in. Liam's cool, stone-colored eyes swept across the room, taking in the hurricane of clothes on the floor of Chloe's messy side and Rae's makeup cluttered but neat side. "I lost it," the girl croaked as her face flooded with heat, that familiar prickling starting behind her eyes. In a fresh wave of irritation and frustration, the picked up the dresser drawer and threw it as hard as she could. It hit the wall loudly and shattered into four planks, all of them scattering across the room, narrowly missing Rae's lava lamp and cat-shaped alarm clock.

"What are you looking for?" Liam edged himself slowly into the room, picking his way around towers of discarded shirts and underwear, mindful of the plank he stumbled on. With a loud sniffle, Chloe managed, "My locket."

"That red one you're always wearing?" He knelt down beside her, ignoring the cushion of tanktops tucked under his knees. When she nodded, he let out a long breath and brought a hand to his jaw, scratching the stubble. "Did you have it at the hospital?" he asked, watching as Chloe flopped back against the dresser, staring dejectedly at her bleeding fingers. There wasn't any indication that she'd heard him but, just as he was about to repeat himself, she spoke quietly. "Yes."

"Let's go look for it in the house," he suggested and stood fluidly. She looked up at him, the sun gleaming off his wheat-colored hair, his rough, cowboyesque features set in a determined expression, and watched him extend a rough, grimy hand down to her. "Okay," she said and took his hand.

oOo

They split up. Chloe took the girls' rooms and therapy rooms; Liam took the boys' rooms and bathrooms. In Tori and Liz's room, she looked under the beds and in the drawers, sweeping her hands along the shaggy carpet only to come up empty-handed. When she looked through the therapy rooms, the only thing she came up with was a busted pen and a lot of dust bunnies in her hair. Utterly dejected, she clomped down the stairs and, so involved in brushing away the lint in her hair, didn't noticed the boy standing at the landing until she rammed into him.

He stumbled a few steps and, in a true anime romance style, lost his footing. The next few minutes were muffled by him pressing her face into his chest, angling his body so he took the brute of the harsh stairs' impact; she knew they were falling and she felt the warmth of his arms around her, blocking out the pain of the tumbling.

When they stopped, she found herself staring into Derek's green eyes. Her face warmed. "I-I—" She stumbled over her the words, clenching her hands into fists. "I swear," he muttered, sitting up slowly while he rubbed his head, "You're gonna be the death of me."

_Derek's got a crush on you. _

Rae's little secret rushed back to her and she paused, staring down at him. He looked rather red-faced, but she couldn't tell whether or not it was from his acne. Why was her heart beating so fast then, if she didn't feel anything? Besides, he probably saw her as only a nuisance, the damsel in distress that he always had to rescue.

"What are you moping around about anyway?" His eyes filled up her vision. She dropped her head. "My locket." Her voice cracked as she thought of her mother, leaning over her, pulling the chain over her curls, smiling. Tucked against Jennifer's collarbone was a matching pendant, only it was blue; it stood out against her cancer-plagued skin, translucent.

"Oh. I think I know where it is."

Quickly, she grabbed his sweatshirt and shook him. "Tell me now!" she demanded, staring into his wide eyes. "Relax." He grabbed her wrists and untangled her fingers with practiced ease, always calm, his eyes never leaving hers. Immediately, she felt her rage wash out in a hot rush and she looked at their hands.

"Come on."

Apprehensive now, she threw a desperate glance above her as he lead her towards the laundry room. Liam wasn't anywhere to be found.

oOo

"I was doing laundry," Derek was saying when she caught a glimpse of something gold as he picked through a pile of underwear. He was crouched down, rifling through Tori's thongs and Liz's boyshorts, passed Chloe's little girl cotton panties. Her face warmed but he didn't seem to notice. "After you mistook me for that dirtbag," he continued, "I had to go do laundry. That's what Davidoff wanted to talk to me about." He paused, hands stilling, resting on a pair of blue boyshorts. "Liam mentioned earlier that you were looking for your necklace. Gold chain, red stone. The one you've worn every day since you got here." He bit his lip and resumed pawing through the panties.

"He came into all the rooms, looking for it. Said you went haywire. Freaked out. Broke the dresser." When he raised a brow at her, she nodded quietly and watched him root around in the pile of laundry.

He stopped rooting again and she caught a flash of gold. "As I did the laundry, I found something in the folds of my sweatshirt. In the hood." He turned to her, sitting now, cross-legged. A wave of relief and sadness washed over her as he opened his huge hand, revealing the shimmering gold chain and the ruby stone. Unable to control herself, Chloe leaned down and hugged him.

After a few minutes, his hand touched her hip and stayed there.


	14. Chapter 14

Crazy

Fourteen

Mummy Daddy Issues

Chloe hated today. Come to think of it, so did Tori, Rae and the boys. Royce bragged about his uncle. Liam didn't say a word the entire day, only pressed his face deeper into his shoulder and Ramon quietly explained that their parents were in jail. "Will you shut it?" Ramon hissed, his face twisted as Royce started up his loud bragging once more. He paused, carelessly draping a leg on the arm of the loveseat, his dark eyes crinkling. "Nah," he sneered and continued.

Chloe tucked her toes under the edge of the blanket and ignored the overwhelming sensation of being choked. Even after twelve years since her death, the wound was still fresh and it never seemed to close, always aching. She pressed her cheek into her knees, trying to block out Royce's voice with her headphones, the vibrations of her music bouncing her ears. Her vision blurred. When she looked up, the TV was off and Royce was lying on the floor, holding his cheek in surprise. Liam loomed above him, fist poised to strike again and she spotted Liz scrambling off the couch, launching herself at the confrontation that was no doubt ready to explode in a flurry of fists and screams. Chloe turned down her music.

"Stop it!" the Delaney girl begged, wrapping her muscular arms around Liam's waist and attempting to drag him backwards, only succeeding in slipping and hitting the floor. Royce's eyes burned with hatred as he pushed himself to his feet. His cheek was swelling, a bruise forming, faintly red from skin on bone. Chloe felt a wave of horror wash over her, spilling icy tendrils down her spine, setting off goose bumps on her thighs and forearms. Every hair stood on end and her scalp prickled with fear. "Stop," she squeaked as she untangled her legs from the blanket.

Liam's lip curled as he backed up. Royce's eyes barely lifted to her as he advanced, slowly. "Stop," she repeated in a raspy voice, kicking away the blanket and hastily stepping between them. With a loud growl, the curly-haired boy turned and stalked away. His footsteps pounded the stairs. A door slammed, the force vibrating the walls and shaking the windows. Liz let out a soft sound of relief. "Oh my god," Rae whispered from her corner on the couch, her toffee eyes round with shock, "that…he's _never _been _that _angry before." Her voice was tiny.

Chloe nodded dimly, her mind swimming through a mess of memories and fear, flashes of her mother's honey-strawberry curls and kind smile echoing and bouncing. She hugged herself. "I-I—" she stammered as she swayed. She was _shaking_, she realized belatedly as Liam led her to the loveseat and guided her down gently. His slate eyes never left hers as he softly wiped her curls from her face, kneeling before her.

"I-I'm fine," she lied and, with a pinched expression, Liam drifted to Rae, wrapping her in his arms. Chloe watched on sadly as her face pounded. The prickling of soon to be tears wasn't helping so she forced herself to her feet, pushing her legs to move. She gulped down air but still felt dizzy, still felt weak. On the second step to her room, her knees gave out and she hit the carpet, barely registering it.

"Chloe?" a faint voice asked. She blinked hard. Her cheeks burned like fire, trails carving paths into her pale skin, charring it black and brown. A pair of huge, dark sneakers filled her vision. Large hands touched hers, guiding her, pulling her up. Her stomach rolled as she tried to see, tried to blink away the film of salt water in her eyes, but she couldn't. Dry lips parted to speak but only silence flooded out, louder than words themselves. A hand touched her back, searing through her t-shirt, cutting through the cool fabric. It felt like hot concrete. "Come on," the voice whispered, gently.

It sounded distant, like the faint call of thunder but she closed her eyes and sank against the person holding her. She could feel the tears leaking out slowly, piling on her skin, dissolving her cheeks and turning her face redder than a tomato. Her ears rung loudly as a door clicked shut. Her legs bumped something soft, lumpy, and she felt herself being laid down. A hand stroked her cheek tenderly. When she opened her eyes, she saw Derek's half-lidded grassy eyes and the mole under his brow. "D-D…" The words died in her throat and tasted sour, acidic, like vomit, like bile sitting there, begging to be released but unable to voice the sounds. "Relax," he told her as he stepped back.

_This is his room, _she thought absently, letting her hand drift to his blankets, feeling the worn, soft fabric. It was cool under her touch, smooth. He made his bed. His room was neat, books in bookshelves, clothes put away, and not a single thing out of place. It reminded her of a hospital. A choked sob threatened to break her face into pieces. Hospitals…dying mothers. They went hand in hand, like death and cancer. She wrapped her arms around her knees, hugging them to her chest. His eyes never left her. "It's okay," he murmured softly but his face was set in stone, like a statue.

When she started to rock back and forth, he didn't look at her like she was mad. Her head hurt. She pressed her kneecaps into her eyes, fiercely whispering under her breath. "It's okay," he said again and maybe that was because he didn't know how to handle a girl having a breakdown. A little snort rose, bubbling out through her dry mouth, trickling like the stream of salt water escaping her eyes. Everything had a hue to it, glowing almost, and she wanted to convince herself that she was in a dream.

His hand touched her, again, searing through her shirt, piercing passed the cold AC. She shuddered. "Sorry," she muttered, ignoring the look he gave her when she lurched off the bed and scrabbled for the door. "Sorry, sorry," she babbled as her hands frantically yanked and jerked the door open. It smashed into the wall.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," she chanted as she pushed herself forward, towards the steps, towards her _own _room, where she could curl up in the soft, stale blankets and pretend everything was okay. Rae would be happy, Mummy would be alive, and she wouldn't be crazy.

When she got into her room, she slammed the door. Closed the blinds. And crawled under the blankets, ignoring everyone as her face burned and bubbled with hot, sad tears.


	15. Chapter 15

Crazy

Fifteen

Apology

Derek was avoiding her after last week's incident. Chloe figured it was because he thought she was crazy, really messed up. "Don't mope over him," Rae said, leaning over to examine Chloe's long nails to paint a thin layer of green nail polish on. They were up in their shared room; Chloe lamenting over the breakdown with Derek while Rae comforted her. Tori was lounging across the room in the swivel chair, spinning round and round while she waited for her hair to dry. Liz was trying on jeans, trying to see which pair made her butt look the best. "I'm _not _moping," Chloe argued weakly as she watched the nailbrush spread the paint.

"You are too," Tori quipped from the spinning chair. Liz's head nodded in agreement, her long hair bouncing at the motion. "Shut up," the schizophrenic muttered, biting the inside of her cheek. "Why don't you apologize if you feel so shitty about it?" Rae suggested, applying a second coat. That gave the short girl a pause, sucking her lip into her mouth. "Yeah," she said slowly, "I guess."

The three other girls jumped in surprise (and Tori almost fell out of the chair) when Chloe sprung up off the bed and darted to the door. "I need to go apologize," she explained to Rae's wide-eyed look. "You're gonna smudge it. Why not wait until it's dry? That way, if you end up messing up, at least you have nice nails. He'll be all like, 'Crappiest apology ever but hey, sexy nails. Wanna make out?'" Liz babbled, dipping her voice in an imitation of Derek's rumbling timbre. Chloe rolled her eyes as Tori tipped the chair over and fell in a fit of laughter.

When the short girl opened the door, she couldn't hold in the shriek of surprise that escaped her. Derek stood slouched in front of her door, green sweatshirt and grey sweats, looking strangely embarrassed. "Can I come in?" he asked. Wild-eyed, Chloe turned to the girls, who immediately claimed to have previous engagements and all but fled out the door. Over Derek's broad, huge shoulder, she saw Rae mime something dirty and Tori make a kissy face; her face exploded with heat.

"Come in," she whispered. _He smells so good, _she thought dimly as he brushed passed her, shoulder bumping her. _Focus, Chloe. Apologize first, fantasize later. _She squared her shoulders purposefully as she turned to him and opened her mouth; unfortunately, Derek chose that moment to speak his own words. "I'm sorry." Every nerve ending, charged with anxiety and fear, slipped back into normal sensations. "W-what—" she started, stumbling forward but he was looking at the floor. "Listen, I…I—" He growled, clenching a hand into a fist and continued, eyes meeting hers eventually. "I'm sorry for being an asshole. I just…I dunno. I thought you wouldn't want to talk to me after, well, _you know_."

The shrill laugh that escaped sounded like a strangled cat screaming for help but Chloe couldn't help it. He thought _she _wouldn't want to talk to _him _the incident? "You thought _I_—I'm _crazy_, Derek. I thought you wouldn't want to be around _me_. I know I freaked you out last week," she said, squeezing her hands into her pockets and refusing to look up from her bare toes. She wiggled them, the glossy paint flashing, refusing to look at him. "I tend to that to guys. They think I'm normal, think I'm okay, and then I creep them out by having breakdowns." A sad smile crawled across her mouth without her permission. "Are they _blind?_" Derek demanded sharply, making her jump in surprise.

"You are—" He stopped, chest heaving as his gleaming eyes glared down at her before finding a spot above her shoulder. "You are…_amazing. _Fucking beautiful. Sexy, funny, and sweet. You are _every _guy's dream girl," he continued shortly, the words coming out strained and through clenched teeth. It seemed like he was holding himself together, struggling in some internal battle with himself. "You didn't creep me out. If anything, it made me want—" _Please say want to be with you more than anything. _

"—Made me want to help you. I don't want to see you cry again. While you're beautiful crying," he whispered, stepping closer and closer until their chests touched and his hand was on her cheek, startling her, "you're absolutely _breath-taking_ when you're smiling, when you're happy, laughing, or just relaxing." He frowned down at her. "I don't want to be the cause of your tears." His thumb was stroking circles, gently, rubbing into her cheekbone.

His hand dropped away abruptly, sharply. "Sorry. I—" He stopped, turned away, and walked out. Chloe stared at his retreating back for a minute before her feet moved, making her run after him. "Derek!" she called to him and he spun at the sound of his name. His arms immediately shot out, wrapping around her running figure (her waist, actually), and swung her up off her feet. Their wide eyes met in a stare down, surprise lacing their faces.

"S-so—" He'd been standing on the edge of the landing when she ran at him and now his foot lost its grip, slipping off the step; the force of the fall knocked the apology out of her lungs. "Why do I keep getting hurt around you?" he asked after they stopped tumbling, sitting on the second landing of the stairs. His face was pinched with pain, hands tight on her shoulders as she sat up slowly, blinking.

"Listen, I know I probably freaked you out by saying all that shit back there," he started, refusing to look Chloe in the eyes. "You didn't. In all honestly, it made me smile. I know I don't look like Liz or Rae, hell, Tori even. I'm not much of a catch or a looker." Her smile was back, sad as ever.

Derek sat up, forcing her butt to his thighs. Locks of inky black hair fell across his smooth forehead. His green, green eyes filled her vision. His mouth was warm and salty, like sweat against her lips. It took her a long, painful minute to realize he was kissing her; but, boy, when she did, she all but melted in his strong arms.

"Shit." He wasn't looking at her as he whispered it. She glanced over her shoulder to see Dr. Gil giving them a shrewd scowl. "Shit is right," Chloe echoed against his hot cheek. Dr. Gil lifted a long, crooked finger. "Both of you, in my office." A pause.

"Now."


	16. Chapter 16

Crazy

Sixteen

Intervention

Lauren and Kit sat side by side, her back ruler-straight and off the back of the chair, Kit sitting calmly, like he was used to things like this. Chloe and Derek were sitting on the bench quietly, her red-eyed and sniffling quietly, and him bumping his knee against hers repeatedly, as if to say _it's okay. _

Dr. Gil squinted at them over the top of her glasses and steepled her fingers together against her chin, tapping her lips with her freakishly long nails, tipped with white. "This isn't the first altercation," she stated calmly, but her eyes were flaring with hatred and her mouth was twisted to the side. "There was an incident with the crawl space, but this has gone far too long to be considered appropriate. I understand kids will be kids, but this has gotten out of hand." Kit's head bobbed in a nod shortly, like he was listening.

Lauren scooted onto the edge of her seat, face pinched in a scowl as her frown deepened with every second. Her eyes kept flicking over to them. She had that angry set of her mouth like when she was upset about something. "This needs to be nipped in the butt," she said calmly, reaching into her clutch to pull out something; she eventually stopped glancing at the two teens sitting on the bench.

"I've seen all sorts of behavioral problems during my time as a doctor," she explained, "but this needs to be stopped. I want a transfer." She clicked her pen a few times to emphasize her statement.

"T-transfer?" Chloe managed to squeak out, sitting up straighter quickly and wiping away her tears. Her heart was pounding so loudly, she was almost certain that everyone could hear it. Blood rushed in her ears as an icy disappointment filled her veins, brutally chilly.

"I'm not putting up with this delinquent trying to violate your innocence," Lauren snapped in that cold professional voice as she carefully adjusted a curl running the length of her neck. "V-violate?" Chloe sputtered, tensing up again. "H-he didn't—he'd never—" Her words tumbled out, a jumbled mess, her tongue twisting and lips struggling to form the words.

Lauren threw up a hand fiercely and the glare shut she shot Chloe effectively shut down her arguments and protests. Kit sat up straighter, frowning now. Wisps of black hair streaked with silver fell from his braid, framing his thin, elfish face. "My son has been raised as a gentleman," Kit began calmly, voice calm and warm, but his eyes were cloudy, "and, while there have been some problems—and minor ones at that—he's a good boy."

"He was caught assaulting my thirteen-year-old daughter! You _do _realize that she's thirteen, right?" Lauren cut in sharply. "Fifteen." Chloe found her voice. "W-what?" The doctor looked flustered as she struggled to think of an answer. "I'm fifteen. I turned fifteen a while ago. Derek's only a year older than me, and it wasn't assault." She felt the urge to set the record straight.

"How can you excuse his _disgusting_ behavior?" Lauren twisted around and pinned Chloe to the bench with a heavy, angry glare. Derek scowled beside her fiercely. "It's _not _disgusting," Chloe blurted quickly. "I like him and he-he likes me."

"You're just a little girl," Lauren snapped. Derek stood up. "Chloe is a responsible, sensible girl who can decide for herself. What's wrong about having a relationship?" He crossed his arms. "Because you're a menace," Dr. Gil said, "to yourself and to others around you." Silence unfurled dangerously fast, smothering everyone.

"A menace? How can you even _say _that when you had Royce, who attacked me on more than one occasion? He attacked me in the laundry room and _mauled _me and it took _that _to transfer him?" Chloe hissed, scowling angrily. "You can keep a monster like him with no complaints but you call Derek a menace? Is it because of his uncle? Pulling strings? He's had that damn silver spoon in his mouth."

"_See_?" She stabbed a finger. "He's obviously a bad influence on her. My Chloe would never think of speaking this way," Lauren pointed out fiercely. "Aunt Lauren, Derek hasn't done anything wrong." Chloe crossed her arms. "He has done _everything—"_

Kit cut in, calmly and effectively, "Derek really hasn't done anything. You're simply being prejudiced. Where were you when Royce was harassing your niece? No charges were ever filed." He spoke quickly, like a lawyer.

Chloe sank to the floor and squeezed her eyes shut. Images rolled around the room, like on an old camera's millimeter film. She forced herself to keep breathing, although it was a massive struggle to do so, her lungs snapping and crackling with every breath she took. Her heart pounded as tears filled her eyes and dripped down.

"Chloe?"

It was Derek, cupping her face gently and softly, like he was afraid to break her. He was all fierce eyes and a whispering voice, careful not to frighten her. Pieces of ink hair fell into his snowy complexion, across his forehead, cutting out pieces of his acidic-green eyes. His cheeks were rose pink and his acne seemed to have flared up more than usual. Maybe he was stressed; she knew she always got really bad break outs when she was super stressed.

"You broke the skin." She blinked slowly and looked down, staring at Derek's forearm with a mix of repulsion, surprise, and fear. She hadn't realized she'd latched onto his arm, actually digging her nails in, breaking the skin, making bloody cuts into his skin. "I-I'm so-sorry," she sputtered quickly, her face heating up as she scrabbled away, dropping his arm.

"Don't worry. If he can survive a rat dog taking a chunk out of his hand, I'm pretty sure he can survive the emotional distress of a teenage girl." Kit said with a smile as Derek scooted back and then stood up. When he offered his hands as leverage, Chloe grasped them but, when he dropped one hand, she didn't let go. He gave her a curious look.

"It's okay," he murmured softly to her and gave her hand a squeeze. Her pulse drummed in her wrist, her fingertips, at the warmth of his huge palm.


	17. Chapter 17

Crazy

Seventeen

Anaconda

"I hope you're proud of your little display back there," Lauren hissed under her breath as she hauled Chloe out of Dr. Gil's office by the arm, her nails digging in painfully. Chloe cringed away from her aunt's tight grip, and rubbed the red marks away fiercely, tongue against her teeth. "I don't know _what's _gotten into you but this _has _to stop! Being around him is doing you no good." Lauren squared her shoulders and glared down. The blonde girl leaned against the wall for support, covertly shot a glance at Derek out of the corner of her eye, and then straightened, hands behind her back.

"Nothing has gotten into me, Aunt Lauren," Chloe choked out, feeling a wave of intense emotions rise up inside her, a tidal wave, nearly drowning out logic and reason, "but you're overreacting. Derek has done nothing wrong. As a matter of fact, I'm surprised you haven't slapped Banks with assault charges." At the mention of Royce and Todd Banks, Lauren's sunburnt face went white, her eyes cold. "What I do is _none _of your business, young lady," she said in a low, controlled voice, "but you need to learn some respect."

"Aunt—"

"Shut up when I'm talking to you." Lauren lifted her hand too fast for Chloe to even realize what was happening and slapped her across the face. Her cheek stung like fire, her mouth tasted like metal where she'd been hit, and she could hear Derek gnashing his teeth against his rage. "That was unnecessary," Kit said softly, his loafers clicking on the floor as he walked over, Derek trailing behind him. Chloe and Derek's eyes met and suddenly, she found herself crying, despite her failed attempt at blinking away the tears. She ducked away from her aunt and pushed passed his waiting arms, passed Dr. Gil and Tori, who was staring at her with a frozen expression, and hurried into her room, slamming the door nearly violently behind her. Footsteps thundered up the staircase.

"Chloe?"

It was Lauren, her voice soft now; the blonde tried to breathe. "I'm sorry." If Chloe knew one thing about her aunt, it was that the older woman _never _apologized. She didn't when Jennifer found out about her cancer; she didn't when her sister died of said cancer; she didn't when Steve's parents died.

Chloe sucked in short, shaky breaths as she spotted a lone black figure peeking out from under the bed. The whites of the teeth and eyes contrasted starkly against the charred black expanse of burnt skin; clicking its teeth mockingly, it crawled out, although it looked more like something out of a horror movie. Instead of crawling on its hands and knees, it did the bridge pose from yoga—it actually reminded her of the staircase scene from the Exorcist—and its head wobbled back and forth slowly, as though it were disconnected from its neck. Her knees gave out and she crashed to the floor, her hands shaking. _Count to three. It's only a hallucination, _she told herself fiercely, sniffling as the thing dragged itself in a grotesque manner closer and closer, legs and arms bent impossibly. She pressed her eyes against her knees, focused on the pressure there, and started counting by Mississippi's. _One Mississippi, two Mississippi…_

Her stomach hurt, cramping tight and rigid against her bladder, and she tried to remember how to breathe. _Three Mississippi. _When she opened her eyes, she screamed so loudly that it made her head ache and ears ring. The thing blinked lazily up at her and stuck its tongue out, licking a wet path from her chin to the tip of her nose. She batted at it, hitting nothing, and her crying intensified. The door shuddered against her spine, Lauren's shrill voice yelling, "Chloe? Chloe! Open the door!"

"Don't cry," the thing begged in a musical, whispery voice and made her pause in her crying. It sat back on its haunches, watching her with white, sightless eyes but somehow, she felt like it could see perfectly fine. "I didn't mean to scare you." It smiled, showing all teeth, and she screamed again, louder than before, shriller. The noise rattled her teeth, scrambled her brain. She struggled to stay upright as the charred figure sat back. From the tightness around its eyes, she could tell it was irritated with her, if not pissed.

"Chloe?" It was Dr. Gil. "Open the door, please," Kit begged. The thing frowned at her as its skin began to bubble, black tar oozing out in some places. Chloe's breathing hiccupped and sped up. Perspiration beaded her skin, making her shirt uncomfortable, and her hands slick against the polished wood of the door. "There's no need to be scared." The thing smiled as its skin began to ripple, contracting and then relaxing, like a caterpillar crawling. Fine little hairs all over her skin stood on end. "Now, now," the voice said again, its silky tones warping, growing deeper and deeper, a warped audiotape. She scrabbled to her feet and grabbed the doorknob between wet hands, twisting it sharply to the left and it flew open the force of her pulling, sending her careening backwards. Derek rushed in, pulling her upright as he scanned the room for danger.

And then he was touching her face, gently, as though he was afraid she'd break into a million fragments; she was shaking so bad she thought she might. "Ssh," he murmured, so close to her ear that she thought maybe he was going to unhinge his jaw and eat her, like that thing had maybe been about to, but then she thought of what she'd imagined and burst into laughter, her eyes brimmed with tears. Her sides ached and ached as she continued to laugh, losing her breath all over again once she caught it in short pauses, and everyone was watching—with the exception of Lauren—with amusement and a bit of confusion.

"Derek," she gasped out, clutching his muscular forearm, "my anaconda don't."


	18. Chapter 18

Crazy

Eighteen

Comforting Words

The next few weeks passed by without incident, with Chloe's medication at a higher dosage to keep the monsters away, and she talked with Dr. Gil about the monsters and such. She and Derek danced around each other, too shy to really take that leap of faith towards a relationship, but they remained friends, hanging around each other; she'd flirt with him, laughing at his jokes and flicking her hair like she saw girls do. Though they never really acknowledged it, she wondered if he felt the same, if he had romantic feelings for her too. Fear of rejection forced her to keep her tongue, and swallow the words _'do you like me, too?' _down every time she saw him.

"Fuck!" she yelled one afternoon, kicking the dresser as she sank to the floor. Why was she so _scared_? What was the worst he could do? _Besides _rip her heart out? She kicked her legs out again, kicking the dresser drawer off kilter, and her foot throbbed in response. She was sick and tired of being too scared to ask him, too scared to stand up to her aunt—always too scared! Hot tears trailed down her face as she folded her legs against her chest. Her foot ached as she ripped off her shoes and crawled onto her bed.

Curling into a ball, she stared lifelessly at the closed door, curling her lip at her weakness as her foot demanded attention. Pieces of hair fell across her face as she lay there, breathing hard; her cheeks stung with the heat of her anger and embarrassment. "Christ, okay!" she screamed to the air, "I have a crush on Derek! Why is it so fucking difficult to say that to his face? Why can't I be brave, for once, when it matters?" She let her fists fall against the pillow, sniffling, as she wiped away her tears.

0Oo

In the morning, Derek sat next to her, his thigh against hers, and was extremely polite. Maybe it was because her eyes were puffy from crying? Her hair was matted and pulled haphazardly into a bun? She was still wearing her pajamas from last night, rumpled? "Chloe," he whispered abruptly as she went to go snag another muffin, "I want to tell you something." He had this short, half-smile that made him look so painfully cute.

"Sure," she said and escaped into the kitchen. When she came back, he muttered something about showering. Tori shot her a smirk when her face went bright red at the idea of him showering.

oOo

Chloe sat nervously on the edge of the couch, wearing brand-new jeans and a nice sweater, nervously plaiting her damp curls as she watched re-runs of One Tree Hill without really seeing the show. What would Derek have to talk to her about? She thought back and examined his face, a bit of anxiety in his eyes, color in his cheeks underneath the patches of acne. He'd wrung his hands as he said the words to her, eyes anywhere but her. Maybe he had a girlfriend and figured out she liked him and wanted to let her down easy.

"You came."

She blinked several times and turned towards the voice, deep and unmistakable, and found Derek hovering in the threshold, wearing a sweater with the tag hanging out of the armpit in a deep, mauve color that set off the green of his eyes and tight black jeans. He'd swept his hair back, revealing a shiny forehead and thick, black eyebrows that were normally hidden by his bangs.

"Of course," she said lightly, smiling despite her skyrocketing anxiety. He smiled too, although it was more of a ghost than an actual smile, and stepped into the TV room. Rays of sunlight slanted across his face, casting his face into an array of shadows, and she pressed her fist into her leg hard.

The pain gave her clarity.

"So, uh, what do you want to talk about?" Her voice came out squeaky and high-pitched, breathless, as she tried to school her features into a cool, collected expression. He glanced at her, scratching his chin. A zit popped and bleed and he winced, shooting her an apologetic look. "You can't help that," she told him, shaking her head when he opened his mouth to, probably, apologize. Unable to bear looking at him any longer, scared she'd blurt out her confession, she patted the bare cushion beside her and pretended to look for the remote. The couch dipped, and his heat nearly sent her buckling.

"Chloe, you know how I am, right? Not very social, not likeable, not…" A pause. "Simon. Not sporty or charming or charismatic."

"But you're Derek, just like he's Simon. Sure, you aren't social or anything, but you're pretty cool. You're wicked smart and you're pretty funny, even its sarcasm, and you're loyal, which isn't something you find in people anymore," Chloe pointed out on one breath, sucking in several deep mouthfuls once she finished. Realizing she'd interrupted, she flushed deeply and stared down at her fingers, twisted around each other, a nervous habit.

His cheeks turned red. "Thanks. But I don't really know how to say this. I've never done this before, but I think I know how it goes. I've watched my brother have girls do it a million times." He cleared his throat and shifted, bumping his knees against hers. His big, warm hands touched hers, covered hers, and she found her breathing was quickening. Blood roared in her ears. "Chloe," he said, "I haven't known you very long, but I think you're pretty cool. Sure, you act like a complete bird brain sometimes, but you're sweet and fierce." He ran a hand through his hair, let out a short huff. "Fuck, I'm so bad at this. I heard you, last night, when you were throwing crap around your room. I heard what you yelled."

Ice slid into her veins.

"De—" she started to apologize, started to say it wasn't true, but he put up a hand.

"Chloe, I have a crush on you, too. I really like you. I'm not Simon or Nate or Ramon. I'm Derek, and I'm a fuck-up, but I still want you, if you'll have me." He was staring at her, his eyes so bright and earnest, and she crushed her mouth against like she had weeks ago. His mouth was warm and dry, chapped, and his breath tasted like toothpaste and chips, and his hands gripped a bit too hard when he wrapped his arms around her.

"Yes," she choked out, her face feeling like fire, pressing her mouth once, twice, against his. "Yes. I'll be your girlfriend."

End.


End file.
